This will be my final flow of thought in this series of entries entitled “It’s hard to be a Christian.” To begin with… It’s just plain hard to be HUMAN – Christian or not! Specifically, life is hard for everyone – whether you are a Christian or not. And it does not...

Amos 4:1 “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountains of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’ (ESV) This could very well be read as an indictment of rich and...

This morning I listened to the dramatized ESV (Mat. 16-28) as part of a “Gospel Experiment” group I’m involved in. The text in Mat. 18 where Jesus is instructing us on how to approach a brother who has sinned against us really stood out to me when I...

Is the mission of Jesus about making clean-cut, polite, nice, honest, law-abiding, friendly, ethical people out of us? Is Christianity, when you get right down to it, just about obeying the “Christian rules” and ethical guidelines for life, instead of whatever former...

Proverbs 10:24 says, “What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.” John Bunyan writes in The Desire of the Righteous Granted that believers desire (1) Desires that may be accomplished or enjoyed in this life,...

“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” – Psalm 90:14 Since Christian Hedonism reminds us that our happiness flows out of our relationship with Christ, I find myself often reflecting on just...

Have you ever heard the statement, “we become like what we worship”? I know that I have said it many times and I’ll probably say it many more times. But we often either hear things or say things without fully comprehending what is being stated. So is...

” Contrary to popular opinion, refraining from sexual activity is not psychologically harmful. Sexual energy can be strong, but its expression is not essential for maintaining physical or emotional health.” (David G. Benner and Peter C. Hill, Baker...

“Sometimes scholars say that the Old Testament does not demand perfect obedience to the law. We must address this matter carefully because there is a sense in which the Old Testament requires perfect obedience and a sense in which it doesn’t. Let me...

R.C. Sproul says that, “One of the surest marks of the Christian is his prayer life. One might pray and not be a Christian, but one could not possibly be a Christian and not pray. Romans 8:15 tells us that the spiritual adoption that has made us sons of God...

In John 7:38, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” The result and promise and experience of believing in Christ leads to an overflow of gushing waters. Verse 37...

“Praying without ceasing” means at least three things. First, it means that there is a spirit of dependence that should permeate all we do. This is the very spirit and essence of prayer. So, even when we are not speaking consciously to God, there is a deep, abiding...

“There is no good in this life but what is mingled with some evil; honours perplex, riches disquiet, and pleasures ruin health. But in heaven we shall find blessings in their purity, without any ingredient to embitter, with everything to sweeten them. O! who is...

This morning, during our family worship time, one of the hymns we sang was The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Full disclosure: I officially love this song now. Let’s back up. A couple weeks ago I had the immense privilege of preaching at a few revival services...

I can’t stop meditating upon a statement that John Owen wrote in the first chapter of The Glory of Christ. Owen was an English theologian who lived in the 17th century; his works are still considered classic. Owen and his wife had eleven children, though only...

About eight years ago I had the privilege of visiting and attending Bethlehem Baptist Church for a short time. BBC is where John Piper serves as Pastor of Preaching & Vision. I was an undergrad student at a university that had a significantly different...

Quotable Theology

As God did not at first choose you because you were high, He will not now forsake you because you are low.

— John Flavel

Quotable Theology

As God did not at first choose you because you were high, He will not now forsake you because you are low.